Andricus stellaris, the sunburst gall wasp, is a fairly common species of cynipid wasp that produces galls on blue oaks and Oregon oaks on the Pacific coast of North America.[1][2] The wasp oviposits on the underside of leaves, between the lateral veins; the larval chamber is the brightly colored spot at the center of the gall.[1] The chamber is surrounded by a crystalline structure.[3]

Andricus stellaris
Sunburst galls on an oak leaf, Santa Rosa, 2022
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Cynipidae
Genus: Andricus
Species:
A. stellaris
Binomial name
Andricus stellaris
(Weld, 1926)

References

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  1. ^ a b Russo, Ronald A. (2021). Plant Galls of the Western United States. Princeton University Press. pp. 108–109. doi:10.1515/9780691213408. ISBN 978-0-691-21340-8. LCCN 2020949502. S2CID 238148746.
  2. ^ "Sunburst Gall Wasp (Andricus stellaris)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  3. ^ Weld, Lewis H. (1926). "Field notes on gall-inhabiting cynipid wasps with descriptions of new species". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 68 (2611): 1–131. doi:10.5479/si.00963801.68-2611.1. hdl:10088/15671.